


Collections of no significance

by Anonymous_Kraken



Category: RWBY, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Anxiety Attacks, Character Death, Cinder deserves eternal torture, F/M, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Multi, One Shot Collection, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rain, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), paya is a good girl who deserves the world, wow what a departure from the first one shot in this fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-25 22:54:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30096372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anonymous_Kraken/pseuds/Anonymous_Kraken
Summary: Just something I figured I would do as practice while between multiple writing projects. A way to flex my brain without the burden of an over arching plotTags and characters to be added at random!
Relationships: Link/Paya (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Petrichor

To Paya, there was nothing more comforting than the sound of rain. The steady drips on the thatched roof of her house serving as a palpable mood stabilizer. Despite everything that was going on outside the confines of Kakariko village, Paya always sought solace in the rains that would wash over her home. It was ambient and soothing, even outside the cover of indoors, Paya loved to stand outside and let the rain splash against her skin, soaking her hair and sometimes chilling her to the core- But she would still stand there. When it rained, it felt as if the Calamity didn’t exist, that she would still be watching the droplets against her window, her parents beside her, taking bets what drop would reach the ledge first. Paya knew, at her home nestled in the mountains, that she was far safer than many others- Still, she was always so nervous, so timid, Grandmother teased her about it, well meaning as always, but the young Sheikah couldn’t help but feel as if she was letting Impa down. Impa had been a formidable warrior, fighting alongside Princess Zelda, the Champions, and...Sir Link. Link...The name always brought a flush to Paya’s cheeks. She had grown up with her grandmother’s stories about the silent knight- The most accomplished swordsman in all of Hyrule by the time he was fifteen, protector of Princess Zelda, Hylian champion, wielder of the sword that seals the darkness, Sir Link. So, when Paya finally met him, she understood what made him the hero of legend without ever seeing him in action. He had no memories to speak of, but he still accepted her grandmother’s request, he still did everything her aunt Purah told him to do, he did it all with an unreadable expression and not a single word. 

Paya began to think of Link as the rain she so adored- He was a calming presence, silent and soothing to be around. He was comfortable and familiar somehow, even though she hardly knew him. His eyes were the brightest blue, striking Paya with the feeling of seeing the sunlit sky after a night of rain. Link came to Kakariko from time to time and Paya often found him sleeping near a burnt out campfire in the early hours of morning- She tried to tell him he should probably sleep at the inn, but he merely shrugged and signed that sleeping outside was fine, that he didn’t mind getting rained on. Paya frowned but did not press the issue, he certainly had enough people always telling him what to do. He never stayed in town long, but he always made sure to check in with grandmother. He would purchase all the arrows from Rola, at least some amount of produce from Trissa, one or two pumpkins from Olkin. Most heartwarming was to see the hero of legend interact with Koko and Cottla. On such occasions, Paya would glance up from cleaning to see Link chasing Cottla as the girl giggled- When he caught her, he would lift her up, causing the girl to laugh with delight. Sometimes when buying produce, Paya would catch Link cooking with Koko, the swordsman listening intently to the girl’s recipes. They couldn’t communicate well, as Koko didn’t know Hylian sign language- But he always found a way to reassure the girl when she doubted herself. Once or twice, Paya happened to see Link comforting Koko at her mother’s grave. He was gentle and reliable, sure as the falling rain. 

But rain wasn’t always gentle, it wasn’t always a quiet pitter patter on the house’s wood, not just the soft dripping sounds against the pond’s surface. And just as rain turned from melodious to torrential, emotions did as well. With each visit, Grandmother became more and more impatient with Sir Link, pushing him to go to Hyrule castle, to save the princess. He told her he wasn’t ready- First it was the divine beasts, then it was his memories, the master sword, the trials- She yelled at him, telling him he was delaying his duty with pointless meandering. Link pushed that it wasn’t pointless- That he didn’t feel ready to fight Ganon. 

“You may never be ready, Link! And if you keep waiting and waiting the princess will die! Everything she’s sacrificed will be for nothing! The champion’s deaths will mean nothing, because of you!” 

Paya, who had been observing from the stairs, gasped at her grandmother’s lack of empathy towards Link. The knight’s eyes were wide and he began to shake, badly. His trembling hands reached for the sword on his back as the outside rain pelted the wood and windows. With a resounding thunk, the master sword was plunged into the floor of the meeting room and Link ran out into the rain. Paya leapt from her spot on the stairs, pausing to glance at the sword in the floor, then meeting her grandmother’s gaze. “I wouldn’t try it, Paya. Only Link can wield that sword.” Impa grumbled, her hat covering whatever expression she was currently sporting. Paya relented, as the sword wasn’t all that important in the moment- She had to find Link. And so, she ran out into the pouring rain, pausing to ask Dorian if he had seen which way the knight had gone. He pointed at the path the shrine was on, stating that he hadn’t seen Link go inside, which may mean he was in the forest hidden by the mountains. Despite ceasing training when her parents passed, Paya was still a Sheikah warrior- Marked by the eye on her forehead, she was fast and had the stamina to make it up the path without much of an issue. Already soaked, the white haired girl couldn’t bring herself to care about the rain pelting her skin as she furiously searched for Link. She ran into the forest, weaving through the trees, her footfalls light as she crossed the bridge to the secret shrine. There, sitting on the entrance to Lakna Rokee’s sanctum, was Link. His arms were wrapped around his knees, his face hidden by a dark blue cloak- But Paya could tell he was shaking badly, his sobs were quiet but she could still how wracked with grief he was. She knelt down in front of him, silently waiting for him to notice her- She didn’t want to rush him. After a few moments, his head lifted and Paya could see the red around his blue eyes, the tears streaming down his cheeks mixing with the rain that drenched them both. He stared at her, as if challenging her to do something, to say something. Paya was never good at speaking, but there, alone in the forest with the broken champion- No, the broken man in front of her, she found her voice. 

“I’m sorry that grandmother said those things to you, it wasn’t right. I know you’re doing your best, and you’ve already accomplished so much...You freed the divine beasts, you claimed the master sword and triumphed over the trials for it’s full power. Grandmother doesn’t appreciate those things like she should- She’s more impatient than ever, as it’s her wish to see princess Zelda before she passes from this world.” Paya paused, her breath hitching at the thought of her grandmother dying. “She’s so wrapped up in her hopes of seeing the princess again that she’s forgotten who all that pressure is pushed on to, she’s forgotten to care what this means for you.” Link sniffed, wiping his eyes. His signs came slowly from still shaking hands. 

_ ‘I still don’t know anything about my life. All I know is my life as the princess’ appointed knight. I don’t even remember my family, or where I grew up. Nothing before Zelda came into my life. It isn’t fair.”  _

Paya shook her head, placing a hand on Link’s shoulder. “No, it isn’t fair. You’ve been through so much and continue to fight and pursue the fate that others decided for you. You’ve never asked for anything in return, but that doesn’t mean you don’t get to feel.” She spoke softly, red-brown eyes never leaving intense blue. “You get to be selfish, Link. It’s part of existing- No one was meant to be entirely selfless, to live their life fully in service of others. You get to want, you get to need. It’s okay to go at your own pace, it’s okay to not be ready. Take your time, I know the princess can hold out until you get there.” 

_ ‘How can you know that?’  _

It was a valid question, and despite all logical reasoning, Paya still asserted it. “I have the utmost faith that she can. And I know you can defeat Ganon, but it’s okay to do it at your pace. Forget what grandmother says, it’s not her job. Only you can do it, so you get to decide how to do it…” Paya smiled softly, giving Link’s shoulder a gentle squeeze. Link’s tears welled up before he hung his head, seemingly at a loss. Then, after a moment, he wrapped his arms around Paya and she felt her heart skip a beat. Despite them both being sopping wet, despite him still slightly shaking, he was comforting and sure- Like the gently falling rain. 

“Thank...You…Paya.” It was almost inaudible, a voice used so little it nearly wasn’t there at all, but Paya heard him loud and clear. Her arms rose to embrace Link, her face hidden in the crook of his neck-She was so close that she could pick up the smells of fire and petrichor that permeated from him. Only Hylia knows how long they stayed like that, both finding comfort in each other’s embrace and the sound of gently falling rain. 


	2. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Kind of spoilers for Rwby volume 8, but mostly speculation on my part!

She fell, again. She could almost hear that condescending bitch, Raven’s voice  _ “A fall maiden with a name so appropriate, she probably picked it herself.”  _ But Cinder wasn’t the fall maiden anymore, she was dead. The power, /her/ power was now in the hands of someone else. Who was it? Who dealt the final blow? Cinder suspected it hardly mattered now, there was nothing she could do about it. So, she fell. And she kept falling- Was this all the afterlife was? Endless falling? What a dull after-existence. 

  
  


Finally, after much falling, Cinder landed- It was white and empty where she was, and there was no one else there with her. Alone in the void for all eternity? What a waste, she could have done so much more. Arthur was right, she had gotten too cocky, too over-confident. Things were going her way, everything was falling into place- Finally, she was going to get the staff, the winter maiden’s powers, revenge on Ruby...And again, those words from that hypocritical wrench wormed their way into Cinder’s mind. _ “If you were stronger or more clever...Then maybe, you’d remember to watch your back.”  _ But she didn’t remember to watch her back, and suffered the price. Cinder sighed, staring at the blank void. Oh well, at least now she could rest. Silver lining? Since when did she look on the bright side? 

“Cinder.” A voice- A voice out of nowhere, but it was very familiar. A voice she hadn’t heard in a very long time but it still had that unpleasant, better than you, nasal quality. Before her stood...A girl. A girl wearing white and grey with dull green eyes- Her blonde hair fell in perfect ringlets. “Cinder.” Another girl, very similar to the first but with longer,straighter hair and blunt bangs. Those abusive bitches here to torment her in the afterlife? Annoying, but Cinder had been through so much since she was the little girl being mistreated by them. “Cinder.” That voice...The matron’s voice. That one made her jump a bit, as the woman came into view. She still wore that scowl, her hair in it's perfect ponytail as always, her voice dripping with contempt. “Cinder.” A gentler voice, and the former fall maiden started to shake as Rhodes appeared. He wore the same gentle expression as he always did with her, and that made it hurt more. “Cinder.” “Cinder. “Cinder.” They all came, all the nameless people she’s killed on her climb for power...They were all here. Amber, the Mistralian woman she took the clothes from, all those Atlesians from the command room...They were all there, closing in on her, staring at her with hate filled eyes. Even the previous form of Ozma, the man with the white hair...Ozpin was there too, glaring at her from behind his glasses. Cinder was surrounded, the fallen started reaching for her, grabbing her, scratching and clawing, pulling and grasping. So this was how she was going to spend eternity, huh? Tortured by all those she ever killed. 

The crowd parted a bit and one last person stepped up. Long, trailing hair as red as blood, wide green eyes that no longer held light or hope...Only rage. Gloved fingers came and cupped Cinder’s chin roughly and she was forced to stare into the eyes of Pyrrha Nikos. Rhodes’ held Cinder by her hair, his hand no longer gentle as it had been all those times he placed it on her head, the matron’s hand was on her neck- just as the device that had been used to torture her had been, her ‘sisters’ both held one of her arms, digging their nails into human and grimm flesh. They were still saying her name, all of their voices dripping with anger, hatred, the need for revenge. Yet one voice came above all, a lone question in a sea of accusation. 

“Do you believe in destiny?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cinder isn't dead in the story....YET  
> I just have a lot of feelings after yesterday's episode and I wanted to make Cinder suffer so....Yeah!

**Author's Note:**

> As always I am in rare pare hell. I just love think they're neat, okay? Anyway, this is all based on a line of dialogue from Paya about not getting people who hate rain and that she thinks it's very soothing. This can be read as platonic but I do ship it very hard.


End file.
